What’s the Best Surround Sound Setup for Your Home Theater?

The reason watching movies in a theater is such a memorable experience is not only the larger-than-life motion pictures but also the sound that engages you from all sides. As you prepare the perfect home theater design for your Lake Forest, Illinois property, it's important that you consider which surround sound setup you want to install. Having the right audio in place could make all the difference.

Upgrade to the Dolby Atmos Experience

Dolby Atmos has taken the surround sound experience to the next level in both commercial theaters and at home. The new technology aims at creating a three-dimensional sound so you can follow the action. Hear a plane flying over you from the front of the room all the way past you. Every little detail is heard crisply and precisely where it should be.

Traditionally, surround sound systems would break sound up between two or more channels (each corresponding to a different speaker). This meant sounds in a specific channel could only be heard from that angle. In a Dolby Atmos system, sounds are treated as individual ‘objects' that can be moved throughout the room without being confined to one channel. This allows sounds to move around freely for truly realistic audio in your home theater.

Finding the Right Speaker Layout

As long as you have speakers with Dolby Atmos-enabled technology, you have some leeway on the layout you want to use for your system. For the best sound, we recommend going with a 5.1.2 or 7.1.2 configuration though you can check out the Dolby Atmos website for more options.

A 5.1.2 system includes two front speakers on the left and right of the screen, one center speaker, two surround speakers placed behind the viewer, one subwoofer, and two Dolby Atmos speakers above the viewer. The 7.1.2 setup is the same except two speakers are added on each side of the viewer.

The 5.1.4 and 7.1.4 setups, known as the Reference Dolby Atmos Experience, are similar except they include additional ceiling speakers. In this layout, there are four in-ceiling or upward facing speakers placed to the left and right of the viewers; two are placed just in front of them, and two just behind them.

Installing the Right Speakers

The final step is deciding which types of speakers to use. We work with the top audio manufacturers in the industry to give you a variety of design options for your space. You can go with traditional floor-standing speakers, wall-mounted speakers, bookshelf speakers or in-wall and in-ceiling fixtures. Depending on your layout, design and space limitations, you can even mix and match types of speakers for the perfect setup.

When it comes to surround sound speakers we would typically recommend going with the home theater lines from KEF with REL Acoustics subwoofers, which offer a variety of options to fit most size or budget requirements. No speaker is complete without the right AV receiver. Offering powerful sound processing and amplification as well as multiple HDMI inputs for added versatility, we recommend going with receivers from AudioControl or Sony ES series as the backbone of your system.

Are you ready to experience your favorite movies like never before? Contact Avidia to install an immersive surround sound system in your home.